Elon Musk responded sharply after a TikTok livestream circulated online in which a woman, said by some users to be from Somalia, appeared to suggest the Tesla CEO’s death.
In the livestream, the unidentified TikTok user played a video of Musk on her phone, spoke briefly in a non-English language, and then said in English: “I wouldn’t worry too much about him. He about to die.”
Musk replied to the clip on X with a brief message: “Then it is war.”
The video surfaced amid heightened tensions involving parts of the Somali American community following allegations of large-scale fraud in Minnesota tied to welfare programs. Social media users claimed the woman in the video was Somali, though her nationality and identity have not been verified, and there is no indication she is connected to any criminal activity in Minnesota.
Why It Matters
Scrutiny of Somali American communities increased after the U.S. Department of Justice uncovered a major welfare fraud scheme in Minnesota in 2022, commonly known as the Feeding Our Future case. The scheme is estimated to have cost taxpayers around $250 million.
Additional allegations have since emerged. In mid-December, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said that more than $9 billion in federal funds allocated to 14 state-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen.
According to the Associated Press, 82 of the 92 defendants charged so far are Somali Americans, citing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota. Community leaders have warned that the cases have led to stigmatization of Somali Americans more broadly.
What to Know
The TikTok clip triggered backlash across social media. Utah Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, wrote: “Deport her immediately. She shouldn’t be here,” although it remains unclear which country the TikTok user is actually based in.
The account DogeDesigner, which has more than 1.7 million followers, posted: “Protect Elon Musk at all costs.”
Libs of TikTok, an account with roughly 4.5 million followers, wrote: “The somali tiktoker who mocked Americans had a meltdown over Elon Musk and appeared to threaten his life.”
Other users called for the FBI to investigate the incident. Little publicly available information exists about the TikTok user’s identity.
What People Are Saying
Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, the state’s most prominent Somali American official, told CBS News: “This also has an impact on Somalis, because we are also taxpayers in Minnesota… We also could have benefited from the program and the money that was stolen.”
Governor Tim Walz’s office previously said in a statement to Newsweek that the governor has pushed for stronger anti-fraud measures, including expanding oversight, launching investigations, hiring an outside firm to audit high-risk programs, shutting down the Housing Stabilization Services program, appointing a statewide program integrity director, and supporting criminal prosecutions.
What Happens Next
Investigations into the alleged fraud cases are ongoing. FBI Director Kash Patel said Sunday that the agency has deployed personnel and resources to Minnesota “to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi added Monday that “more prosecutions” are expected.
